


The Forbidden Art of Fusion

by Magichorse



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Past Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Peridot backstory, Worldbuilding, lots of pearls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-14 16:31:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5750245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magichorse/pseuds/Magichorse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Far away from Homeworld and the rule of the Diamonds, Peridot indulges in some doubts about the laws she has lived her entire life by. Haunted by difficult truths she had uncovered in gem society, and finally free to express herself, she spills everything to Pearl. </p><p>Rated M for short but explicit scenes.</p><p>Complete as of 4/1/2017</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Question

“Hi, Peridot,” said Pearl coldly. 

The two gems stood outside the weathered barn, regarding one another across the iron frame of the drill. 

Peridot was not pleased to see her. Captured and forced by circumstance to work with her former enemies, Peridot had struck a deal with the Crystal Gems to stop the super weapon incubating in the earth’s core. The work was easy, but adaptation to earth’s peculiarities was slow. Peridot felt constantly on edge. Nightfall usually concluded their collaborative endeavor on the drill for the day, and marked a time when Peridot could record her thoughts in her daily log, but the pearl had appeared once again.

“Hi,” responded Peridot, scowling suspiciously.

She conceded that the pearl was commendably logical and exceedingly practical...for a pearl. Yet, her refusal to acknowledge Peridot as her superior undermined everything gem society was built on. Peridots outranked pearls. The Diamonds, the most perfect of all gems, had made it so. 

“Garnet said I should come check on you,” said Pearl by way of explanation, and gave her a disinterested once-over, “You seem fine.”

“Correctly stated,” said Peridot, “I don't know what the fusion thinks I am doing over here in your absence. My comportment has met all of the criteria of our truce, and I intend to continue this way to ensure our mutual survival. Now, will that be all?”

Pearl scowled as Peridot spoke.

“You could show more respect toward Garnet,” she said, looking hard at Peridot. Peridot looked away.

“She makes me uncomfortable,” muttered the green gem, staring hard at the barn wall. “All of this makes me _exceedingly_ uncomfortable.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” said Pearl, and it was unclear how sincere she was.

“Yeah, well, I'm sorry for myself being caught up in this nonsense, too,” said Peridot bitterly. “There are consequences for these transgressions. When Yellow Diamond...”

“Yellow Diamond is not here.”

Silence settled between them. A half-moon was just rising and stars were appearing over the ocean.

“Do you know why fusion is forbidden on Homeworld?” asked Peridot suddenly. The pearl's face flushed, surprised, “What does fusion have to do with this?”

“A lot, I think.”

“I don't know,” said Pearl with a tone like she was humoring a human child, “Why is it forbidden?”

“I think you do know,” said Peridot, as if Pearl were only pretending to be ignorant, “I know you came from some high Homeworld court. I can tell. Your sheen, your height, the quality of your appearance modifiers. You lived under their rule just the same as I did-- under all of their rules. Didn't you ever stop to question, didn't you ever think it was odd--?”

Pearl stared at her with a slight frown across her delicate features, clearly not following. Peridot stared back, looking at her. Really looking, in a way she had not dared before. Pearls, she thought to herself grudgingly, were stupidly gorgeous.

Pearls.

Peridot scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head as if to dislodge some deeply unpleasant thought. 

“Many years ago I...started to suspect that there was no…practical reason for the laws against fusion,” said Peridot, haltingly, as if the treasonous words were difficult for her mouth to shape. “From the information I was able to gather from ancient, unredacted sources there is nothing inherently harmful or unnatural about the process.”

“Yes,” said Pearl. “That was our conclusion here on Earth, too.”

“So, the logical question that follows is, why did the Diamonds ban it at all? And even more peculiar, give it the highest penalty under gem law?”

Peridot looked at Pearl expectantly, hoping that she would engage in the discussion. Instead she looked contemplative for a moment and then asked, as Peridot feared she would, “When did you start to doubt?”

Peridot grimaced.

“I was hoping you would not ask me that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Peridot begins to tell what happened.


	2. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party.

Peridot took in the scene.

There were easily eight hundred guests filling the grand hall and open grounds of Emerald's mansion. From where Peridot paused in her descent of the sweeping main staircase, she could count their black silhouettes against the wash of golden light beaming from the diamond patterns of the floor. Above, the walls rose into darkness, punctuated by glittering diamond lights suspended in the air. Everything was illuminated yellow or cast into deep shadow. 

Peridot continued down to the floor and entered the crowd. She found herself surrounded by the conversations and glitter of some of Homeworld's most elite gems. All around were blithe smiles, cruel whispers, and sharp laughs. The mood was electric, dangerous. At the edges of the light she knew there were darker conversations in darker corners. She masked her unease with a carefully blank expression. 

Emerald was a powerful gem with powerful friends to impress, and she knew how to entertain. Peridot knew that she would encounter sensory delights she had only heard of if she wandered deep enough. She hadn't gone very far when she discovered the pearls. She stopped to stare. 

It was an almost unheard-of extravagance.

Elite gems had a pearl or two apiece, certainly. It was a social necessity. But the amount of them that Emerald had acquired was almost unbelievable. There were six in her immediate vicinity alone, each unique in appearance. They ranged in color from starlight white to sunset orange, covering hues of yellow in between. Made to order, yes, but no two alike. Each was lovely, and each was gliding effortlessly between the guests, smiling, taking orders, brushing suggestively close before moving on. Peridot was mesmerized.

“Hey, Cut-5XG!”

Peridot turned to see a familiar face, perhaps one of the few she would encounter at such an event. Peridot Facet-3F5L Cut-33XG approached her.

“Hello, Cut-33XG,” Peridot said cordially, “It is nice to see you.”

“Likewise,” said the other peridot, grinning conspiratorially, “This party is something else, amiright?”

“Affirmative,” said Peridot. “The decorations consist of the most advanced displays of experimental geometry, particle wave theory, and static engineering I have witnessed to date.”

“It is most exquisite,” agreed Cut-33XG, “But you haven't seen the half of it. The halls leading off of this room are where the best... _diversions_ are.”

Peridot stiffened. She knew...well, she had heard the elite had access to substances so rare they weren't even acknowledged in the circulated publications of contraband. She glanced around at the polished crowd, masked in a thick veneer of civility. She wondered how many were waiting to make their excuses and dip into a private room to indulge in illicit activities.

“You aren't thinking of joining them, are you?” asked Peridot flatly, “Do you think the aristocrats are going to let two technicians catch them breaking the rules?”

“Cut-5XG, we've earned this. You are going to be promoted to Architect Engineer of Earth imminently, once that experiment emerges. You can enjoy this. Rules are for gems who want to get to the top, not the ones who are already there.”

“I can...see your point,” said Peridot, warming at the mention of her upcoming promotion. 

“Right,” smirked Cut-33XG, “Let's go.”

Peridot allowed her colleague to maneuver the both of them through the hall. They passed long banquet tables laden with hundreds of kinds of taste-strips and fanciful flavored foams, piled in enticing arrays; Small crowds of gems stood peering into cages holding specimens from Emerald's menagerie of corrupted gems; Priceless artifacts from conquered civilizations stood exposed like common furniture for all to touch and admire. And there were pearls everywhere.

“Bet you'd like to find a dark corner with one of them,” suggested her companion slyly, catching where Peridot's gaze had wandered.

“Negative,” said Peridot quickly, and, she hoped, convincingly. “Some rules of our society are inflexible.”

“There's a lot you can do with a pearl that is not... _that_ ” said Cut-33XG, smiling.

Peridot wondered how many parties her colleague had been to before.

“Here,” said the other peridot grandly as they arrived at an imposing door, “The Sitting Room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: The party continues.


	3. The Sitting Room

They entered into a smoky room that pulsed with a low yellow light. A spire of incense burned in the center of the chamber, recessed in an elaborate bowl of precious metal. 

High ranking gems of all kinds sat on low cushions in a wide, loose circle, conversing quietly. They were an impressive group; Peridot could only guess at the resources they must have spent to manifest such extravagant physical projections. Peridot stopped short when she met the gaze of an imposing gem presiding at the rear of the chamber.

Emerald herself was present. 

The larger gem’s eyes shown extra bright in the dim surroundings. Though she reclined, her presence still commanded. A yellow ochre pearl sprawled seductively on her lap, top cut low in a diamond shape. One of Emerald's hands was resting possessively on the inside of the pearl's thigh, and she raised the other to them in welcome.

“Hello, technicians,” she said, offering a serene smile, “I am glad you could accept my invitation.”

She said this as if anyone declined her invitations.

“Please seat yourselves. Your presence is most welcome. It is a treat to have some variety in the crowd.”

Peridot smiled, pleased by Emerald’s personal welcome. She walked in and found that a spot had been made for herself and the other peridot in the circle. Conversation in the room resumed, and she began to chat with an intriguing citrine wearing White Diamond insignia. 

The smell of the incense pervaded, calming. The lights pulsed in gentle patterns. 

Pearls rested on or beside many of the guests. Peridot watched as the amber pearl attending to the citrine nuzzled the higher ranking gem's neck. The citrine brought a hand up to thread through the pearl's soft hair, but continued her conversation with Peridot as if nothing were unusual. Peridot did her best to concentrate on the elite gem’s face, but she was certain a blush was creeping over her.

“You must travel often, technician,” said the citrine regally, “Tell us about that.”

“Yes, tell us the latest from the edges of the empire,” said a zircon, leaning in.

“I have been to the edges,” said Peridot with a small flourish, “But my current project involves a much older site within our borders: the Earth.”

“Ooh,” said the citrine slowly, “What a dreadful place the Earth became. I used to go there on holiday before…well, you must know. Is Yellow Diamond finally sending someone to fix it up?”

“The Earth will shortly be reformulated into something useful,” said Peridot, “We are going to make something unique out of it. As an example.”

The citrine and the zircon chuckled, clearly enjoying the thought.

A serving pearl leaned down to offer them a platter of the flavored foam, and the other two turned away, interested. They both missed the undignified sound Peridot made as one of Emerald’s pearls chose that moment to settle behind her, wrapping a graceful arm around her waist and resting her chin on Peridot's shoulder. Peridot’s thoughts momentarily left her, erased by the feel of the soft gem pressing close to her body.

“Hello,” the pearl said low in her ear, ignoring Peridot's apparent discomfort.

“H-hi,” said Peridot, fighting to regain her composure. She reminded herself that the other gems were clearly modeling how to behave in this situation, and she needed to follow their example.

The citrine and zircon turned back to her to resume conversation, and two yellow topazes joined them. The pearl didn't seem to be going anywhere. 

“Is this your first time at one of Emerald's parties?” asked one of the topazes. “You seem so natural.”

“Correctly observed,” said Peridot, still struggling to remain unaffected by the pearl.

“Her parties never cease to amaze,” said the other topaz, inhaling deeply of the smoke, “I look forward to them all year. It's so nice to relax away from the public eye.”

“It's true, I never feel more like myself than within these rooms,” said the citrine, whose pearl was beginning to kiss her neck softly. “Anything is possible here.”

Peridot stole a curious glance back at Emerald and found her absorbed with the pearl in her lap. One of her hands was beneath the fabric of her servant’s shirt, sliding off the thin material to leave the pearl’s chest exposed. The pearl was looking into her mistress’s eyes, transfixed and pliant.

Peridot looked away quickly, unsure how to interpret what was happening. She saw, with a start, that the other guests were becoming similarly engaged. An unspoken turning point in the evening seemed to have been reached. Conversation was dying down and hands were beginning to roam.

The incense burned steadily, smoke unfurling in an endless ribbon.

There wasn’t anywhere for Peridot to look that would help abate the hot flush creeping over her body. She was keenly aware of the pearl at her back in a way she had never been before. She glanced back at Emerald, unsure what else to do.

The regal gem had her face pressed close to her pearl’s, dark hair cascading around them both. She seemed to be whispering to the pearl, who had one delicate hand on her master’s cheek and the other down…

Peridot swallowed dryly.

The pearl’s other hand rested on Emerald’s wrist, her skirt pushed up and her master’s hand hidden from sight deep between her legs.

“Would you like to see the grounds?” asked a voice close to her ear, breaking her fixation on Emerald.

“Wh-what?” Peridot started, feeling as if she were coming out of stasis. She realized the voice belonged to the pearl whose arm was still wrapped around her.

“The grounds,” said the pearl, “The gardens. I think you should see them.”

“Oh, uh…” Peridot was still having a hard time concentrating.

“Come with me,” said the pearl, taking Peridot’s hand and pulling her smoothly to her feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent a lot of time trying to build the atmosphere in this scene. 
> 
> I hope you are enjoying Peridot's story so far.
> 
> Up next: The grounds.


	4. The Shrine

They slipped quietly out of the Sitting Room and into the light of the hallway. Slightly dazed, Peridot allowed herself to be led back through winding corridors toward the main hall. 

As they walked, Peridot was able to finally look at the pearl. She was light yellow with a golden sheen and short, sunny hair. Similar to the other pearls, her outfit was designed to be provocative. She wore a tight bodice ending in alluring ruffles at her hips, and lace stockings running down long, smooth legs. Her shoulders were bare. Peridot stared openly at her as the two of them progressed through the crowds of conversing gems. 

Peridot was only just adjusting to the light and noise of the party when she found herself being swept outside through one of the grand open doorways. The night air was cool. The Homeworld's moons hung low in the sky. Before them, stone walkways wound through terraces of tasteful sculptures and deep reflecting pools. Small lights set into the ground like fallen stars gave the illusion of night sky blending with horizon. 

The pearl walked on, leading them out past the farthest reaches of light spilling from the open hall doors. Beyond the terraces, the grounds smoothed away into gentle hills dotted with secluded diamond shrines. The pearl slowed her pace and curled her arm through Peridot's, still walking the two of them steadily away from the mansion. 

“You seemed uncomfortable in there,” said the pearl.

“Maybe,” said Peridot, tersely.

“This all must be new to you…” started the pearl, but didn’t continue. Something unreadable passed across her face, but was quickly replaced with a smile.

Peridot was annoyed that her discomfort must have read so plainly, but glad that only this pearl had seemed to notice. Small mercy.

“Hmph,” she muttered in response, but did not remove her arm from the pearl’s.

They arrived presently at one of the short crystalline structures. The pearl led them in. The interior was dark and silent, lit only by the glow of a single diamond statue. Peridot found herself staring at the pearl again, brooding thoughts evaporating. The soft light illuminated the swell of the pearl’s breasts above her bodice, and accentuated the roundness of her thighs. 

“Don’t worry,” the pearl said, turning to face her and press all those lace and ruffle-covered curves flush against Peridot's body, “You don’t have to be in there to enjoy yourself.”

Peridot froze, breath hitching.

“What do you think?” asked the pearl, lips close to Peridot's.

“Thinking is…difficult,” said Peridot as she brought her hands up to the pearl’s waist.

“Let me rephrase that, then,” purred the pearl, “What do you want?”

“Would you mind if I…?” Peridot raised her hand to the pearl's cheek, fingers caressing her face.

“What do you think we came out here for?”

Peridot kissed her, and it was easy from there. She hadn’t done this with many other gems, certainly none so beautiful, but her body knew what it wanted, and that was enough to let her thoughts go and let instinct take control. She held the pearl’s hips close to hers and the pearl pressed enticingly closer, arms wrapping around Peridot’s neck. 

Groping at each other in the semi-dark, they found themselves against the altar below the floating statue. Peridot hoisted the pearl up onto the stone ledge, and the pearl obligingly wrapped her legs around Peridot’s waist. They locked lips again as Peridot slid one hand between them, making a small sound as she found that beneath all the lace ruffles, there was no fabric at all between the pearl’s legs to stop her fingers connecting with heat and wetness. Just the discovery alone caused a hot sensation to run through her body.

Obscured beneath the lust that presently guided her movements, something else stirred within Peridot. Some unfathomable want that she would have recoiled from in a more lucid moment began to well inside her.

Her gem began to glow. The pearl's glowed in response. The world began to fade.

Peridot’s eyes flew open. 

What. 

Was. 

She. 

Doing?

“I-I'm sorry!” exclaimed Peridot, springing back from the pearl. Whatever it was that had been expanding in her chest curled back up tight. “I don't know what came over me, everything was fine and then I just—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply--!” 

Her thoughts spun. Was she just about to initiate fusion with another gem? A gem who wasn’t a peridot? Had she lost her mind? 

Her thoughts stopped spinning abruptly as something dawned on her.

“Wait,” said Peridot, looking at the pearl suspiciously, “Your gem…wasn’t it glowing, too?”

“Yes…”

“Look, nevermind,” said Peridot quickly, shaking her head, willing to forget what had almost just happened between them, “I'm sorry.”

“I’m not,” said the pearl quietly, meeting Peridot’s eyes. Her coquettish manner had disappeared entirely, as if she had not been moaning beneath Peridot’s hands only moments ago.

Peridot stared at her.

“That's a shattering offense,” said Peridot uneasily.

“I know.”

“Did you…?” began Peridot, mind racing to put the pieces together, “Did you plan this?!”

Silence.

“You can _not_ be serious! You…you must be defective,” said Peridot, trying to control her panic, and not sure if she believed the words herself. 

Hurt flashed across the pearl’s face, and then settled into something unreadable. That same expression as before.

“Defective...” said the pearl, stepping down to the floor from the altar where she still perched. “Yes, that’s what they call pearls like me.”

The pearl approached her. Peridot made no move to back away, but when the pearl reached toward her, Peridot flinched. The pearl didn’t pause, simply laid a hand on Peridot’s arm and gently pulled it down and toward her, placing Peridot’s hand back on her waist and holding out her other hand palm up, inviting.

“Let me show you something.” 

There was a long pause, filled with thoughts that Peridot could no longer recall, and a feeling of something unspeakable drawing her toward the other gem. Slowly, Peridot uncurled her fingers and lay one hand in the pearl’s open palm. 

It happened quickly.

The pearl pulled Peridot close, spun the two of them and then, looking Peridot straight in the eyes, dipped her.

Their gems glowed simultaneously, and then everything went white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has changed very drastically from when I first envisioned it, and continues to evolve as I write it. Originally, it was Peridot that initiated the fusion in the end, but as the character of this pearl became clearer, I realized that she had far more reasons to want this.
> 
> Up next: Someone new.


	5. The Fusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fusion's inner workings in this chapter are based off of Malachite.

Olivine's four eyes came into focus in the gloom. A diamond statue provided a soft glow, and all around was quiet.

Though she had never seen this place before, she knew where she was, and where she needed to go. Carefully, as if she had never used them before, she took a step on her long legs. It was time to go the mansion.

It was time to put an end to Emerald. 

She summoned two daggers from the gem in her chest and advanced toward the darkened door.

Something deep within her consciousness panicked, and she heard a distant voice.

_"What?!"_

She felt the sentiment more than heard the word, and a pang of fear stopped her in her tracks. Her vision began to blur, as if something were drawing her eyes in two separate directions.

A different voice within her answered, cold as space.

_"Yes.”_

A dread certainty filled her, centered her, and her gaze settled once more. With renewed purpose, she took another step toward the outside.

_"NO!"_

Olivine winced and put one hand to her head as the first voice shouted back. She shuddered. 

_"Stop fighting me! This is my only chance!"_

Olivine’s entire body felt hot, the forces inside of it pulling violently away from one another. 

_"You will not...use me...for this!"_

Olivine's vision was turning white. 

_"I've been used my WHOLE LIFE! And SO. HAVE. YOU!"_

_"SHUT. UP!"_

There was a searing, and a tearing, and Olivine lost consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of sucks to be Olivine I guess.
> 
> Up next: The aftermath.


	6. The Aftermath

Peridot shrieked and opened her eyes, suddenly back in the shrine. She touched her face, her chest, her legs, making certain her body was there. Her mind was spinning. She was whole, she was Peridot, but...different somehow. She couldn't describe it. It scared her.

Her eyes found the pearl. She was few feet away, doubled over, face hidden against the floor. She was clearly conscious, but making no move to stir. Peridot waited a moment to see if she would rise, but silence reigned. Peridot fidgeted.

"Hey, um…”

"Don't," snapped the pearl coldly from where she rested. She did not raise her head.

"No, you listen to me!" said Peridot, her fear turning quickly into anger. "What were you trying to pull?"

The pearl curled in on herself a bit more but did not answer.

“Answer me, you can’t just--!”

"I thought you would understand," said the pearl in a small, defeated voice. “Once we fused. I thought that was how it was supposed to work."

"Understand what?" huffed Peridot, anger ebbing.

"Me, my life. My truth. The truth about all of this."

Peridot tried to puzzle out what she meant, and discovered with an unpleasant start that she had memories that were not her own. As if activated by the realization, they began to play in her mind. She saw parties like the one they had just left, one after the other, blurring into one long, endless night. Faces and voices she had never known became instantly familiar. She saw Emerald, short scenes, flashing images of cruelty and violence. And it wasn’t just pictures, she could feel—humiliation, pain, fear, rage, and rage, and rage. She saw her friends crushed for expressing themselves and felt her own potential being choked within the oppressive vice of gem society.

Peridot gagged and shuddered, coming back to the present.

"No, I...I do!" she said, incredulously, shaking. “What did you do to me?”

The pearl looked up at her, clearly uncertain whether to believe her or not. Peridot looked away, overwhelmed. What did all of this mean? She had never questioned the way things were, had never dreamed of questioning the Diamond Authority! And if some days she felt alone and unvalued, she tried never to dwell on them. She had believed always, sincerely, that her private suffering was for a greater vision, a glorious future laid out by the Diamonds that required every gem to know her place and perform her duties without complaint.

The pearl’s sufferings, added to her own, were almost unbearable. 

She felt a hand on her arm and looked up, startled from her thoughts. The pearl settled next to her on the floor, threaded one arm through hers, and lay her cheek against Peridot's shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t think this would hurt you. I just needed help.”

“You were going to use me to kill Emerald and escape to Earth.”

“Yes.”

“You believe those stories, then? That the Crystal Gems are still alive?”

“No,” said the pearl distantly, “That _she_ is still alive.”

Peridot didn’t need to ask who she meant. Terrifying images of Rose Quartz had been plastered all over Homeworld propaganda during the war for Earth, but what kept the aristocracy shaking in their own homes had been the rumors filtering back of a renegade warrior pearl. No reputable news source was allowed to acknowledge her existence, but the tabloids had a heyday printing first-hand accounts of the pearl from gems who had been to Earth. It sparked a hysteria. Restrictions on pearl freedoms tightened to unprecedented levels in the wake of the war. 

All of this was a history lesson to Peridot, who had yet to emerge from the mantle of the planet where she was born when the first war raged. But the pearl had lived through it.

“What if she isn’t even real?” asked Peridot.

“But what if she _is_ ,” said the pearl, “Do you know how much that hope means to us?”

Peridot felt a throb of grief in her chest that was and was not her own. 

“I’m sorry,” said Peridot, “The Earth is slated for destruction. You must have known, to be this desperate to flee.”

The pearl nodded against her shoulder. 

“So it didn’t matter who you used,” said Peridot bitterly, amazed at her own pettiness in the face of the more towering concerns of how she was going to live with the pearl’s thoughts and feelings undermining everything she had ever held dear. “You just needed someone to fuse with.”

“I admit I thought that, too,” said the pearl, respectfully removing her arm from Peridot’s and sitting up, “But I chose you for a reason, even if I couldn’t have known what it was before now.” She placed her hand over her gem, “I guess your pain called out to mine.”

Peridot had forgotten that the pearl must now be carrying her experiences as well. She would know about the long nights Peridot spent wondering if what she was doing was right, or just. She knew about all the times Peridot had tried to propose less destructive projects and been humiliatingly demoted, and the corrupting feeling of success Peridot had experienced when she finally started playing into the expectations of her superiors. She wondered if the pearl could feel the shame that was carving itself into her chest at this very moment. 

Soft hands were tugging at her, and she gave in willingly as their positions were reversed and the pearl held her close. Peridot felt something inside her release that she didn’t know had been pent up. She let her grief run its course silently, and knew that it was shared.

Eventually, lying quietly in the dark with the other gem, she calmed, and began to think. She was, at the end of the day, a born problem-solver. And she could not deny they both had a very big problem of deciding what to do from here. Her sharp mind jumped ahead to possible futures, running through advanced calculations and probabilities. 

“You know…” said Peridot slowly, disturbing the restful silence, “I could stop the cluster.”

The pearl sat straight up, dislodging Peridot. Peridot didn’t skip a beat.

“I could lie to Yellow Diamond. I could convince her that the conditions aren’t right for the cluster there, and to start another one elsewhere. It would take some setup, and I--” 

Peridot was cut short by the pearl throwing her arms around her and kissing her. Peridot nearly squealed in surprise.

“Do you mean it?” said the pearl, looking at her with something akin to awe.

“It wouldn’t help you escape, but...”

“No, no,” said the pearl, eyes beginning to tear up, “The Earth as a symbol means everything to us. Since the rebellion life has been nothing short of a nightmare. Just thinking that they could still be out there, that _she_ could still be out there…I would be so grateful just for that. I could forget about Emerald and bide my time for the right moment to escape.”

“I can fly a ship,” Peridot heard herself saying, “We could leave Homeworld. Together. Somehow. I don’t know how any of this is going to actually work…”

She knew it was treason and did not care. She didn't think she had understood what hope was before this night.

“We’ll figure it out,” said the pearl, pulling their bodies close again and kissing Peridot deeply.

Wrapped together with the pearl in the semi-dark, warm inside and out, Peridot truly believed that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll get back to regular Pearl soon, who is probably having a lot of feelings and questions right now.
> 
> Up next: Peridot concludes her story.


	7. The End of One Story

Peridot paused in the telling of her story, exhausted. Her gaze remained skyward, as it had been all the time she spoke, looking back across space and time to the scene as it unfolded. Now, she willed the images to stop, and just traced the stars and their calming, familiar patterns.

Outside the barn, the half-moon had risen high and small and bright, a sign of the late hour. The air was filled with night sounds and the distant mutter of waves cresting on the beach.

Pearl had remained silent as Peridot spoke. At times she pursed her lips, or creased her brow, but she did not interrupt. Her expression was grim, blue eyes attentive. When Peridot didn’t seem about to continue, Pearl stirred and prompted gently, “What happened after that?”

Peridot’s expression darkened like a storm. “What do you think happened?” she snarled, ripping her eyes away from the sky to fix Pearl with a glare, “Does it look like we lived happily ever after?!”

Pearl recoiled, startled. Peridot grimaced and got her voice under control, though it was difficult. She wanted to shout so loud the farthest speck of dust at the edge of the universe would feel her rage. 

But facts were facts, she knew, and no amount of anger was going to change the truth of what had happened. The fight went out of her as quickly as it had come, and she felt cold.

“She was shattered the next day,” she said numbly, and Pearl nodded, as if Peridot confirmed something she had already known. 

Peridot could not stop herself from returning to the scene in her mind’s eye.

She had parted with the pearl in the early hours of the morning with a promise to see her soon. As day broke, she settled in at work to begin the long, intricate process of altering growth data for the Cluster in thousands of years’ worth of reports. It was going to take genius, and patience, but she had that more—she had another gem depending on her. 

It was looking to be a gray afternoon, ordinary, when the summons came. It was the same as the invitation to the party had been—an elaborate hologram in the shape and cut of Emerald’s gem. It appeared before her suddenly and projected its message in curling ribbons of light. It read: “Your presence is required without delay.” If she had a bad feeling about it, she pushed it off. She dismissed the screen she had been working on and warped to Emerald’s mansion obediently. 

The scene at the mansion was much changed since the night before. The main hall was empty and clean and hushed. Tall windows let in muted natural light to reflect on the crystal surfaces, filling the cavernous space with a soft gray glow. Though the ceiling still rose high, it was no longer lost to view, and Peridot could make out its historic arches far above. 

She was shown to the Sitting Room, empty of guests, its plainer features revealed by the light of day. The ashes of the incense had been swept away, so the recessed bowl gleamed alone in the center. Emerald sat, resplendent and expressionless, upon her raised chair. The ochre pearl from the night before stood behind her in more conservative attire, gaze stoic.

“Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG,” Emerald addressed her.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“It has come to our attention that Pearl 9E had contact with you last night. She has been under observation for suspected treason for some time now.”

Peridot’s mind went completely blank. 

“We apprehended her early this morning,” continued Emerald, “and she quickly confessed to the charges brought against her. We deeply regret that a gem such as herself was allowed to corner you alone on the grounds last night.”

Peridot tried valiantly to marshal her thoughts, but her usually quick mind was stalled. Did they know the whole truth? Emerald didn’t seem interested in letting her get a word in.

“She was deeply disturbed. Dangerous. Pearls are as weak as they are beautiful, and can easily corrupt. We would not like to think that a talented technician, whose career is only just beginning to blossom, could be led to throw it all away for the mad theories of a defective pearl. She has been broken. As an example. Do you understand?”

Everything was suddenly too still. They did know. They knew everything, and they had killed her counterpart without hesitation. Killed…but they hadn’t killed her yet, because in their eyes, a peridot was worth saving, while a pearl was more valuable dead. 

She struggled with the rage and horror boiling up within her. Terrible, brave ideas flashed in her mind. She was all but ready to strike Emerald and accept her own fate, but then her eyes caught Emerald’s, and she froze. Emerald’s eyes spoke the reality of death, swift and certain. She wouldn’t make it one step toward her, those eyes said. Everything was in vain. Peridot struggled to recapture the vengeful energy, but the unspoken threat filling the space crushed the defiance from her, like the gravity of some awesome planet.

“I understand,” said Peridot meekly, and it was done.

Emerald seemed to relax slightly, and nodded.

“You are a loyal subject of Yellow Diamond. Do not forget that, and do not give us cause to doubt you, Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG.”

“No, ma’am.”

“That will be all,” said Emerald, releasing Peridot from her gaze and dismissing her with a gesture.

Peridot turned and walked as calmly as she could to the warp pad, and then fled home to collapse, trembling in shock and grief.

In the present, Peridot paused again, remembering and reliving. With a sigh that came deep from within her, she brought her story full circle.

“After that, I was always scared. I followed every rule, and questioned no orders. Eventually, I took delight in the thought of the miserable Earth being wiped from the map of the galaxy. The sooner it was gone, the sooner gem society could forget what it stood for, and then, I thought, maybe I could have peace, and forget, too.

“And then I came here, and I saw…you. I knew who you were instantly. The renegade pearl. I hated you on sight. I needed, more than I have ever needed anything, for you to be ordinary, unremarkable, like pearls are supposed to be. I wanted the Diamond Authority to be right, that it’s only the deranged fantasy of defective pearls that they could ever amount to anything more than servants.”

“But,” and here Peridot sighed, looking sadly at Pearl, “Anyone can see that you aren’t ordinary at all. I’m...sorry, for how I’ve behaved toward you, and for so, so much more.”

Pearl said nothing at all, expression guarded, eyes searching Peridot’s face for something. It was too familiar a look.

“I can't make amends now for most of the things I’ve done, but I will try. Just…give me time,” said Peridot, and she turned and walked away to be alone, leaving Pearl to stare after her with so many questions unanswered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that even though this chapter had some predictable elements, you are all still committed to following along to see what happens next as Peridot and our Pearl get to know each other.
> 
> You may have noticed that I've increased the number of total chapters this story is predicted to have, since it just keeps writing itself. 10 chapters should be the final count, and maybe an Epilogue. Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments so far, it keeps me going : )
> 
> Up next: Peridot gets curious about Pearl's story.


	8. The Battlefield

The next day the sun seemed to rise too bright. The conversation with Pearl had left Peridot feeling raw and vulnerable, like a battleship with its hull stripped away. 

When Pearl appeared at the barn entrance that morning and greeted her, Peridot answered tersely, avoidant. By midafternoon she had stopped speaking to Pearl altogether, withdrawn into herself to think. Peridot knew the Crystal Gem must have a lot she wanted to say, but she wasn’t ready to hear it. They worked the afternoon side by side in silence.

While she did not engage with Pearl, Peridot still watched her. She was covert—Pearl never caught the long stares when her back was turned, or noticed Peridot listening when she spoke softly to herself. Unseen, Peridot’s eyes tracked Pearl’s movements with an intensity usually reserved for complex equations, like Pearl was a solution just beyond her grasp. 

Pearl had a way of moving in the world that Peridot burned to understand. She was, at all times, unapologetically herself. Her moods changed frequently—sulky, patient, inquisitive, cross, and the list went on. She was fascinating. She seemed to experience everything so deeply. Watching Pearl, she wondered if she would ever be that free, or if the fear that had sat heavy in her chest for so many years had become a permanent fixture of her core. 

These were the thoughts that occupied her as the sun traveled its path across the sky.

By sunset, accustomed to the silence and engrossed in her work, Peridot looked up suddenly to realize that she was alone with the drill. She peeked over the dome of the machine to see the Crystal Gems seated together on a near slope, looking at an orange sky. Steven was stretched out close by Peridot, his ukulele in his hands and the human called Greg seated beside him with a similar instrument.

Peridot’s brooding thoughts ground to a halt and she stalked, annoyed, toward the human and half-gem. 

“Why did everyone stop working?” she demanded.

“It’s a beautiful evening and they’ve been working hard,” said Steven, “So have you, Peridot, you should take a break.”

“The only thing that’s going to be breaking is this planet’s pathetically thin mantle as the Cluster bursts through it!”

“Working hard is important,” said Greg, “But feeling good is important, too. Here, listen to this,” he said, and played a sequence of sounds.

“That’s…pointless,” said Peridot.

“It sounds nice, though,” said Greg.

“Subjective,” shrugged Peridot.

“Try it!” said Steven cheerfully, placing the ukulele in her hands and gesturing for her to sit down. Peridot inspected the object. It had been carved from the woody flesh of a tree and treated, sliced and glued into a hollow shape that would echo with the vibration of the strings. It was laughably simplistic. 

“Well?” he asked, hope beaming from him.

Peridot imitated the placement of his hands on the strings and began to methodically produce and catalogue every sound the instrument could make. Her fingers operated in precise, robotic patterns as she moved her hands up the neck, repeating each chord in successive registers. She felt Greg and Steven watching her, eyes wide. 

“I have played the instrument,” she said when she concluded her inventory of sound. “Is that all?”

Greg experimentally played a G without comment. Peridot matched it instantly, fingers finding the correct placement from memory.

“Whoah,” said Greg, and played a C7 with the same result. He played a sequence of chords and Peridot copied him. He laughed, “Well, I’ll be! That’s incredible!”

“Hm,” said a familiar voice. Peridot twisted to see Pearl leaning over them, “I didn’t know a peridot’s functions included producing music.”

“We—I wasn’t--!” Peridot had a moment of panic. She caught the slight smile playing across Pearl’s lips. She was being teased. 

“I bet you have lots of hidden talents!” exclaimed Steven.

“Ugh,” said Peridot, dragging a hand down her face. They were all going to die on this miserable rock.

“Peridot?” said Pearl gently, soft voice catching Peridot’s attention, “Could we talk?”

Peridot glanced towards the drill, considering withdrawing to the safety of her work, but heard herself say instead: “Yes, we should.”

Steven looked at them wonderingly, clearly curious about what was going on.

“Come,” said Pearl, and Peridot followed her to the warp pad.

///

She took them to a vast plain covered deep with strawberry bushes. 

“This is where we made our stand against Homeworld,” said Pearl solemnly, answering Peridot’s unspoken question.

A soft evening breeze rolled through the field, flashing the silver sides of the fruit leaves in gentle waves.

“Why are you showing me this?” 

“Because I can see you struggling with the freedoms of Earth,” said Pearl, keeping her face to the setting sun, “Please, trust me when I say I understand. There was little I loved more than order and hierarchy and rules before Earth. I knew my place in the universe; I accepted it, reveled in it even—and five thousand years ago I burned it all to the ground right here.”

Peridot looked out, trying to imagine this place as a battlefield. She had come into existence a full three thousand years after the war for Earth had raged and open terrain warfare was a phantom of the past. She had read stories, and seen projections, but the reality was hard for her to picture against the scenery around her.

The sky above was a soft wash of pink, yet, the sinking rays of the sun cast a revealing glint off of weapons scattered thick beneath the vegetation. It had clearly taken thousands of years for the growth to cover over the worst traces of the great battles, and Peridot imagined it would be thousands more before the remnants of the gems who fought here were reclaimed by the earth. 

“There were no ships with powerful beam cannons or advanced gem destabilizers then. We still fought face to face," said Pearl. She laid a hand on the exposed hilt of a sword whose blade was many times wider than her body.

"You stood up to gems wielding weapons of that size?" Peridot asked, struggling to imagine it even though she had seen Pearl spring fearlessly into conflict first hand.

"Yes," said Pearl, eyes flashing, "I turned aside blades like this time and again…and felt their bite often enough. If it wasn't for Rose Quartz's healing powers, I might have been shattered beyond repair countless times. But I never hesitated, not once, not for her. That’s what it means to live for a purpose or a…a person.” Pearl’s voice faltered slightly. “It was Rose’s dream to keep this place safe from the destructive reach of the Homeworld empire. I would have laid down my life for that. I became what I am for that.”

“To become..." echoed Peridot quietly, as if in response to her own thoughts, “This isn't what I wanted. The pearl… _she_ wanted to help you defend this planet. _She_ was the brave one. It should be her standing here with you!" Peridot clenched her fists. "I'm pathetic. In the end, I couldn't even bring myself to raise an objection, let alone a sword for her. I can’t get over the irony some days,” she looked skyward and far beyond. “She’s gone, and I wound up here.”

The wind whispered through the dark strawberry leaves. 

Peridot turned to see Pearl standing stock still, face deep with grief.

“What changed for you?” pressed Peridot, eyes searching Pearl once more for answers. “How could you leave everything you ever knew for a desperate war?”

Pearl seemed unable to answer, jaw clenched with the effort to stop her tears. Words echoed in Peridot’s memory: _Your pain called out to mine…_

A brave idea took hold of her. Slowly, she raised one hand toward Pearl, palm up, inviting. It took all of her nerve to keep it there as she watched Pearl’s expression turn slowly from pain to shock, but Peridot held firm, arm outstretched, determination welling.

“Help me understand,” she said.

The sun was a burning sliver on the horizon. The Earth teetered between day and night.

Pearl reached out tentatively to rest her fingertips in Peridot’s open hand. Their gems glowed.

The sun sank below the curve of the earth. 

Peridot’s world went white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, this story just continues to write itself, though it took all of March to try to get this installment into shape. This chapter is really the turning point for Peridot. The pearl she met on Homeworld is still very much a part of her, and she knows she should be burning every rule that was ever written by the Diamond Authority, but she still needs our Pearl to show her the way after everything she's been through.
> 
> The last line of her little monologue to Pearl should recall Pearl's words to Steven about persisting without Rose Quartz.
> 
> Thank you as always for your support. I am glad you are all along for this story with me.
> 
> Up Next: Enter Rose Quartz


	9. The Memories

Olivine stood alone in a strawberry field, looking up at the darkening sky. She didn’t need to study the emerging stars to determine where she was—it was a place she felt she had known for thousands of years. _Earth._

She looked down at her hands. They were a different shade than she remembered, and finer in their structure. There were a lot of things different about herself than she remembered, but this seemed natural to her somehow, with the shift in her components.

Gracefully, she sank down to sit against one large berry. Its flesh was still warm from the recently departed sun. Soft voices murmured just below her consciousness. She felt nostalgic.

She remembered.

>>>>

White Diamond’s throne was a rare masterpiece. Carved into the marble wall of the palace before the first Diamond was created to rule, the work of art had lasted the test of millennia, holding out for a monarch worthy of its craft. Curved lines radiated from the recessed seat like rays from a giant sun. Along and between the pristine beams, scenes of conquest were etched into the white stone. Up close, one could study the anguish and grief on the face of every organic species brought under Gem control, catalogued and caught forever in the thrall of their new sovereign. White Diamond reigned from this splendid seat.

Pearl had spent many hours beside the throne, at ease with the accusing stone eyes at her back. She felt, as all gems did, a sense of pride at the extent of the empire to which she belonged, and of the powerful Diamond she served. Today, as other days, she stood at attention in her privileged position, watching the events of the court unfold. 

A contingent of commanders from the newest subdued planet, Earth, had arrived the night before. Their formal entrance to the grand hall of the court was simply ceremony. The true conversations to determine the Earth’s fate would take place later in sealed chambers, but today the military would be honored for its service.

Four quartzes and their attendant officers entered in procession. White Diamond’s favored commander, a hulking Amethyst, lead the contingent. Behind her walked the commanders representing the other three Diamonds—Blue Diamond’s Agate, Yellow Diamond’s Jasper, and Pink Diamond’s Rose Quartz.

Pearl did not listen to the exchange of ceremonial discourse. She had heard it thousands of times in as many years. She scanned over the array of officers, and Rose Quartz drew her eyes. She had not thought a quartz could be capable of elegance. The commander’s features were feminine, her lips full and hips wide. Her hair spilled in a wave of pink curls down her back. Thick thighs and muscular calves ran down into military boots. Her dress was short and white, and her gem gleamed through a diamond-cut in the bodice above her wide sword belt. Her eyes seemed to take everything in, and when they met Pearl’s open stare, she had the most uncomfortable sensation of being _seen_. She averted her gaze quickly.

At length, it was over, and the visitors filed back out from the great hall to re-attire themselves for the gala that evening. Pearl looked up in time to catch the bounce of Rose Quartz’s curls as she slipped from sight. She felt relieved, once more a part of the scenery. She turned her attention back to her master. White Diamond stared at the door through which the party had disappeared, dark eyes intense against her pale skin. 

“You,” she said, when at last she turned to Pearl.

“Yes, my Diamond,” said Pearl with a slight bow.

White Diamond leaned down close to Pearl, put her perfect pale lips beside Pearl’s ear and said, crisp and low, “Watch them.”

////

Pearl caught up with the Earth contingent quickly, falling into pace with them. 

“Commanders,” she addressed them, “White Diamond has assigned me to attend to you personally throughout your stay.”

Commander Jasper leered at her, sharp teeth bared in a smile, “Is that so?”

Commander Amethyst grabbed the jasper’s arm in warning, and responded to Pearl, “My Diamond is kind to assign us one of her personal attendants.”

“It is my pleasure,” said Pearl demurely, ignoring the jasper’s inappropriate comment. As they continued down the wide corridor, she could not help glancing in Rose Quartz’s direction.

Up close, the warrior was even more impressive, more enticing. Pearl was close enough to catch the floral scent that seemed to surround her gently. Her eyes were kind, but Pearl could see a glint of cunning in them, too. She looked openly back at Pearl, a smile playing on her lips, and Pearl felt compelled to look away once more, expression carefully blank. 

////

“The progress of construction on Earth is much delayed,” said Rose Quartz, almost conversationally. Pearl was the only other gem in the large, hushed room. She had sent three other pearls to attend to the other commanders, keeping Rose Quartz to herself. She had told herself it was because Rose Quartz was clearly the most probable cause of White Diamond’s concern with Earth’s operations. She began to feel her suspicions had been correct.

“That is what they say,” said Pearl, noncommittally. 

“The Earth is a delicate place,” continued Rose Quartz.

“I have not been,” said Pearl evasively. Rose Quartz graced her with a smile, but it had a hard edge.

“Neither have many of the engineers who designed the final plans for the Earth colony. The cost will be immense.”

“Cost has never been an issue for the Diamond Authority,” said Pearl.

“You misunderstand,” said the commander softly, rising from the vanity bench, resplendent in her evening attire, sword in its pink scabbard at her hip. She looked at herself in the tall mirror there, and rested a hand on the pommel. “The price in organic life is beyond the Diamond’s ability to compensate.”

“Organic life isn't worth anything,” snapped Pearl with a vehemence that surprised even her, "Weaker beings are deserving of subjugation. That is how the universe works."

“Even the weak can find strength in defiance,” answered Rose Quartz, looking once more right at Pearl, as if in anticipation of her response. 

If this was a game, Pearl was losing. She frowned, angry. Her fingers twitched, but what they wanted to reach for, Pearl did not know. She clenched them into fists instead and willed the anger away.

“I will return for you at the start of the gala,” she said shortly, and made a swift exit. 

The words followed her, though.

////

“Pearl,” said Rose Quartz, standing at the edge of the shadowed balcony over the white ballroom. Gems glittered and twirled in stately dances below, a sea of sparkling movement. The two of them were alone above it all.

“Yes, Commander,” said Pearl, stepping to her side. Her head still swam with the implications of Rose’s words before. She felt guarded.

“Just Rose, please, there is no need for pretention now,” she said. “You and I both know how this night is supposed to end.”

Pearl said nothing. Rose Quartz was right, of course. White Diamond had enough evidence from Pearl and other officers to condemn the commander many times over. It was unlikely Rose Quartz would survive to the next morning.

Pearl expected her to say something bitter or sad, but instead she asked, “Do you dance?”

“I can entertain if needed,” answered Pearl, uncertain of why it would be of interest at a time like this. She was startled when Rose Quartz laughed, a musical sound that washed over her like a sudden beam of sunlight.

“That isn’t what I meant!” she said, smiling directly at Pearl and holding out a hand. “I mean, would you like to dance, here, with me.”

Pearl looked at the hand as if she had never seen one before. 

“Tonight may be my last chance,” said Rose Quartz, “And it is my favorite.”

It was Pearl’s favorite, too. Her eyes were wide, unbelieving. Court gems did not dance with pearls. A little thrill ran through her.

Pearl knew they were being watched; White Diamond would break her without a second thought for such a transgression as Rose proposed. She had avoided this fate longer than many, living life with a singular purpose: survival. She had never done a single thing in her own interest. Looking at the proffered hand and all it represented she realized that she never had been, and never would be, happy under White Diamond. She could be secure, but she would never _dance_. A flare of defiance curled within her, foreign and bright.

She reached out. When her fingertips touched Rose Quartz’s palm, the larger gem’s warm hand closed easily around hers. The commander took the leading part, and Pearl fell right into step, as if she had done this countless times before. They spun slowly in the semi-dark, backlit by the gleam from the party below. Pearl lost herself in the gentle sway.

As they danced, their faces drifted close, noses almost touching. Pearl stared at Rose’s full, pink lips. 

“Well,” she said, with a small sigh, looking at Rose through half-lidded eyes, “You win. Whatever your game is.”

“I’ve only been waiting for the right time to make you an offer,” answered Rose, “Your freedom in exchange for the information that will allow me to grant it.”

“For pearls freedom is only this,” said Pearl, “A moment of disobedience before death.”

“I can give you another way,” said Rose, squeezing the hand where Pearl’s fingers were laced with hers. “What would you give for that?”

“For that, I would give you anything you ask.”

“A kiss?” asked Rose Quartz, stopping their slow spin.

Pearl didn’t hesitate. She had already accepted death, and was taking what she wanted. She leaned up and pressed her lips to Rose’s. A warm feeling spread through her, and everything went white.

////

Rainbow Quartz danced a few steps by herself, light on her feet, movements joyful. She opened four eyes and found herself alone. Startled, she became two gems once more.

////

Pearl opened her eyes, once again herself in Rose Quartz’s arms. In her mind she saw, unbidden, the image of a blue and green planet, white patches swirling through its atmosphere. _Earth,_ her new memories supply for her. Planet Earth. It drew tears to her eyes.

“Rose…it’s beautiful.”

Rose Quartz didn’t answer. She was looking beyond Pearl to the door. She pulled Pearl close and put a hand to her sword.

////

Commander Amethyst’s glowing whip was fast, but Rainbow Quartz, newly formed again, was faster. She was all cunning grin and high, delighted laughter as she knocked past White Diamond’s elite guard. Court gems shied from her, startled, scared by her strangeness, but she did not stop to enjoy their expressions—she felt only the wind whipping past and a power in her limbs previously unknown.

With Pearl's knowledge of the palace, she escaped the grounds easily. She commandeered a ship and set a breakneck course for Earth where the rebel forces awaited her return.

////

Watching Garnet fuse for the first time, Pearl knew how she and Rose must have looked to the outside world--strange and powerful. 

Behind Garnet’s back, Rose smiled at her.

“We may not stay fused all the time, my Pearl, but do not doubt my love for you is just as strong.”

////

Humans came and went like the years, but Greg stayed, against all precedent. He was a disaster in every way, except one. He made Rose happy.

Pearl couldn’t wait for his short life to end.

////

It was a beautiful day, against Pearl’s wishes. The blue sky did not match the dark feelings inside her, brewing like a storm. 

“Pearl, we need to talk.”

Rose Quartz had grown large with the organic processes taking place within her. She was as beautiful as ever, and Pearl could not look at her, could not bear to see the mark of someone else’s love on her. 

“My son and I cannot exist together. When he is born, I will cease to be. Do you understand?”

Pearl’s head jerked up, thin shoulders stiff. She looked at Rose Quartz fully for the first time in months. She could not process what was being said to her.

“No…” she said, eyes wide. “That doesn’t make sense. That can’t be.”

In Rose’s eyes she saw it was true. As calmly as she could, she rose and turned her back. She walked until she knew she was out of sight, and then ran as hard and fast as she could for the safety of the Temple.

What had she fought a thousand years for? What had she given up everything for?

>>>>

Olivine felt the chill of the evening air deep inside herself. A grief was welling to the surface. She felt alone. She split and became two gems once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a long time, it really wanted to be its own entire story, and I had to keep cutting it back! I might have to make a related one-shot that explores their relationship more. It seems like it would be incredibly complicated with the power differences.
> 
> I decided that Pearl and Peridot fused would still be Olivine. I didn't have space to write more about that, but this Olivine shares a common thread of experience with the Olivine from a previous chapter. Perhaps a different pearl and different peridot altogether would create a completely different Olivine, but because this one is made with our Peridot, she is more similar than not to the previous one.
> 
> Thank you as always for reading, and sorry for the long pause between updates. We're in the home stretch.
> 
> Up next: what this all means for Pearl and Peridot


	10. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story comes to a close

Peridot became aware of a dark landscape beneath a wide, starry sky. She was on her knees, palms flat against the damp grass. Beside her, she felt Pearl by energy alone. The air around the other gem hummed like a wire stretched too tight. She turned, drawn to it, still disoriented from the shift from one consciousness to another. Their minds had only moments ago been one and a haze still clung to the back of Peridot’s vision. She found Pearl’s eyes only moments before Pearl leaned in and kissed her. 

It was not at all a passionate gesture, but an inevitable, necessary thing. Something was wrong and this was the way to fix it. Everything had been wrong before this. Pearl was looking for control, and Peridot found she was eager to give it.

Pearl pressed forward, her mouth still on Peridot’s. She was all graceful curve of spine and fluid movement of limbs. And strong. Peridot had known that she must be, to fight like she had seen her fight. Peridot gave way to that strength, leaning back until her shoulders touched the ground and she lay flat on the earth. 

Pearl paused, breaking their kiss and pulling back slightly to look down at her. Their clothing had disappeared, bodies touching skin to skin. Peridot knew this was her moment to say no if she wished. She could still walk away, bury these memories down the darkest hole she could create, and return to the life she had been living on Homeworld. 

There was no part of her that wished to do that.

In submission she found freedom, in Pearl’s hands she found absolution. Pearl had lost so much and Peridot had taken so much, it seemed that in the movement of their bodies, one subjugate to the other, was the only solution to the imbalance. She could never make up for what she had done to the Earth and countless other planets, but starting today, she could try. 

She wondered briefly how they looked, a peridot beneath a pearl, a slap in the face of the status quo. She wished she could broadcast it to Homeworld. The thought caused her to smirk against Pearl’s mouth. It seemed to encourage Pearl, who quickened the pace of her movements, and Peridot stopped having thoughts at all.

When they finished, they lay still, Pearl’s long limbs still curled around Peridot and her cheek resting against Peridot’s shoulder. Peridot remembered the pearl who had lain with her in the dark all those years ago. She couldn’t go back and save her now, but she could fight for the planet she died trying to reach.

She looked beyond Pearl to the open sky and felt the weight of it pressing down. She picked out Homeworld’s galaxy, visible with the naked eye, nothing between here and there in all the light years of empty space to stop their coming. 

Peridot gave the stars a defiant glare. Let Homeworld come and try to break her. Let them try to take _this_ pearl from her, too.

In that moment, beneath the stars, beneath Pearl, in the face of a yawning, uncertain future, defiance felt as if it might just be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was shorter than I had planned, but I wanted this story to have an end and not live forever as an unfinished work. 
> 
> Thank you, thank you, everyone who has read and commented and encouraged me to finish. Between when I started this story and now, I've had a lot of real world distractions. I moved apartments, changed jobs, applied for and started graduate school, and so much else. 
> 
> I can't wait for my next round of inspiration.


End file.
